ARCHIDONA - Historic-Artistic Site MALAGA - ANDALUCIA (SPAIN)

The city was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1980 for Baroque urban and architectural heritage.The municipality is home to several archaeological sites from different periods and areas of ecological interest such as the Natural Lagoons Reserve of Archidona and Hoz de Marín. It is also the headquarters of the Andalusian and Mediterranean Cinema Displays.

Moorish Castle

At the time of the Moorish occupation it was impenetrable, with its three layers of ramparts protecting it and with an imposing rock face behind it.

The Hermitage of La Virgen de Gracia

This hermitage (ermita) and sanctuary is dedicated to the devotion of the patron saint, La Virgen de la Gracia. This is a unique site in Andalucia because it has been built on the original site of the Arabic Mosque, while all others were destroyed.

NIAGARA FALLS - NEW YORK STATE (NEW 2 POSTCARDS)

Today I received 2 postcards from Niagara Falls! 

Anyone in Niagara Tourism sent me more this 2 beauty cards for my collection. 

Thanks a lot! 

It´s the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States; more specifically, between the province of Ontario and the state of New York. 

Visit http://www.niagara-usa.com/

SLOVENIA - OBCINA POSTOJNA- 100 YEARS

I received 5 postcard. Sent me by Obcina Postojna (Municipally of Postojna) it was a special request until this town. 

Thanks a lot! 

A new Slovenian town in my collection!   

SLOVENIA - POSTOJNA CAVE - PROTEUS ANGUINUS!

Yesterday I received 6 new postcards request to Postojna Cave and Town Hall. 

That it´s a postcards about Proteus Anguinus!

It´s a salamander, is the only cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe. In contrast to most amphibians, it is entirely aquatic; it eats, sleeps, and breeds underwater. Living in caves found in Dinaric Alps, it is endemic to the waters that flow underground through extensive limestone of karst of Central and Southeastern Europe, specifically Postojna Cave.

Thanks a lot Postojna Cave.

CZECH REPUBLIC - OLOMOUC HOST CITY UEFA UNDER 21 (PORTUGAL 5 - GERMANY 0)

Upper Square ( Horní náměstí ) in Olomouc is regarded as the city center. It is the most important square and old Olomouc and that correspond buildings constructed over the centuries in its circumference. The palaces of Edelmann , Petráš and Salma belong to the most important palatial mansions.

The Archdiocese Museum in the buildings of the former Olomouc Castle is the city’s best and most extensive historical sight. There are three main levels to the museum; the cellars, ground floor and first floor. The original stonework of the old gothic and Romanesque cellars was exposed in the recent reconstruction and there are archaeological findings exhibited here that date back as far as 3500BC. 

 At the southwest corner of the Olomouc Town Hall, there is the modern Arion fountain. It was created in 2002 as part of the reconstruction of the Upper Square and completed the group of Olomouc Baroque fountains inspired by ancient Greek mythology. Its author is the sculptor Ivan Theimer, a famous native of Olomouc living in France. The subject of the sculptural decoration is an ancient legend of the Greek poet, singer and kithara player Arion rescued from the sea by a dolphin attracted by his singing.

The oval pool of the fountain is recessed below the pavement and carries three bronze sculptural groups: an obelisk on the shell of a monumental turtle, sculpture of two children and the standing figure of Arion with a dolphin. Another turtle is located next to the fountain, much to the delight of children. The statues are covered by a detailed relief décor celebrating Moravia, the city of Olomouc and its inhabitants.

The pilgrimage site Svatý Kopeček (The Holy Hill) is part of the city of Olomouc. It is located about 8 km from the Olomouc city centre. Today's pilgrimage area on the Holy Hill with a residence and a cloister was built on a traditional pilgrimage place. A small chapel was built here around 1632. According to legend it was founded by an Olomouc citizen and wine merchant Jan Andrýsek. He was asked in a dream by the Virgin Mary to build the chapel.

On the place of the former chapel, a monumental Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Marygrew in the years 1669-1679 according to the plans of the architect G.P. Tencallo. In the years 1714-1721 the present residence area was constructed to the plans of D. Martinelli and the entire complex was completed by the cloister and the Chapel of the Virgin Mary.

The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is the largest group of Baroque statues within a single sculptural monument in Central Europe.

The column reaches a height of 35 metres and its lower part houses a chapel. The sculptural decoration is made of 18 stone sculptures of saints, 12 light-bearers and 6 relief busts of the apostles. The column is dominated by gilded copper sculptures of the Holy Trinity on the top and the Assumption of the Virgin beneath it. The larger-than-life figures are enveloped in light, airy drapery with lively expressions on their faces and corresponding gesticulations of their hands. The overall sculptural decoration has a natural and harmonious appearance without being exaggerated in the typically flamboyant and exaggerated Baroque mode.

Hradisko Monastery was originally a Benedictine monastery, from the mid-12th century apremonstratensian monastery in Olomouc in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1078 and it serves as an military hospital since 1802.

The monumental front face of the Prelature is adorned with sculptured architectural decoration and a portal with columns and a balcony. On the upper floor of the Prelature, there is a ceremonial hall. The leading Austrian painter Paul Troger contributed, along with others, to the inner decoration. Troger painted the monumental ceiling fresco on the theme of Christ’s Feeding of the 5000 in the year 1731. The fresco is surrounded by a painting of illusive architecture by Antonio Tassi. Equally significant is the painting and stucco decoration of the library’s vaults. The Italian painter Innocenzo Monti and the sculptor Baltassare Fontana worked together on it at the beginning of the 18th century.

U.S.A. - VERMONT (THETFORD AND BURLINGTON)

Thetford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States in the Connecticut River Valley. Thetford is a town of six active villages on the Connecticut River, half-way up the east side of Vermont. With 40º in Lisbon a postcard with a snow scene is beautiful!

Burlington is the largest city in the State of Vermont. Burlington, as seen from Lake Champlain. Burlington is the headquarters of the Lake Champlain Transportation Company with seasonal service provided between Burlington's King Street ferry terminal and Port Kent, New York to the west, across Lake Champlain.Burlington has been touted as "America's Most Livable City for the Arts,Ó due to the wealth of cultural and recreation activities for a city of its size.  

Two postcards sent by Burlington City Council. Thanks a lot! 

LUXEMBOURG - NEW UNESCO POSTCARD!

I received last Friday many postcards. One of that from Luxembourg. I really like that postcard because it shows a old town (Veille ville) and new buldings far from - UNESCO site. 

Thanks a lot again at Luxembourg city tourist office!

MALTA - THIS IS MALTA!

Yesterday I received my new 8 postcards from Malta! New country in my collecton. 

Thanks a lot Malta Tourism Authority!

We can see:

Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni in Paola. 

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is an underground prehistoric burial site. Discovered in 1902 during construction works, the site was first excavated by Fr Emmanuel Magri between 1904 and 1906. Fr Magri died in Tunisia and his excavation notes have been lost. Excavations were taken over by Sir Themistocles Zammit, who continued works until 1911.

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a complex made up of interconnecting rock-cut chambers set on three distinct levels. Earliest remains at the site date back to about 4000BC, and the complex was used over a span of many centuries, up to c. 2500 BC.

The Hypogeum is a very popular tourist attraction. However, since only 60 people are allowed per day, Heritage Malta recommends tourists to book well ahead of time if they wish to visit. 

Cave overlooking Ramla Bay in Gozo Island

Ramla Bay is located at the bottom of a rich and fertile valley on the northern side of the island of Gozo. Gozo is one of the Maltese islands.

Large caves in rock overlooking the picturesque Ramla Bay.

Traditional Maltese Festa (party). 

St. John´s Co-Cathedral in La Valetta

St John’s Co-Cathedral is a gem of Baroque art and architecture. It was built as the conventual church for the Knights of St John. The Grand Masters and several knights donated gifts of high artistic value and made enormous contributions to enrich it with only the best works of art. This church is till this very day an important shrine and a sacred place of worship. It is also a venue for cultural events.

Azure Window in Gozo Island

he Azure Window is made of a Maltese limestone known as Globigerina. This is the second oldest rock found on the islands covering almost 70% of its area. The rock, which is subject to erosion, gives Malta its distinctive coast and interior. 

The location used by Azure Window for the TV series Game of Thrones.

Lovely crystal clear waters framed by another large chunk of rock shaped into an arch by thousands of years of erosion by the sea and geological conditions.

Malta´s Grand Harbour

Grand Harbour (Maltese: il-Port il-Kbir), also known as the Port of Valletta,^[1] is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times. The natural harbour has been greatly improved with extensive docks and wharves, and has been massively fortified.

Manoel Theatre, La Valleta

It´s a theatre and important performing arts venue in Malta. The theatre is often referred to as simply "The Manoel", and is named after Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller, Fra António Manoel de Vilhena, who ordered its construction in 1731. The theatre is reputed to be Europe's third-oldest working theatre (older than the San Carlo in Naples), and the oldest theatre still in operation in the Commonwealth of Nations.

The pale blue, trompe-l'oeil ceiling that resembles a round cupola.

La Valleta by night from Walls

Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, also known as Knights Hospitaller. The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city, particularly the destruction of The Royal Opera House. The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.

Fort Saint Elmo was built in 1552, as a result of the attack of 1551. The Ottomans attacked again in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. Fort Saint Elmo fell after fierce fighting (in which the Ottoman general Dragut was killed), but the knights held out in Birgu and Senglea until a relief force arrived.

TEL AVIV AND OTHER CITIES AND LANDSCAPES - ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - The Church of St. Peter (Russian Orthodox)

 The sunny, spacious gardens surrounding the Russian Orthodox Church of Tabitha’s Tomb is a unique place to commemorate Peter’s raising of Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-43), and to pray in a rarified old-world atmosphere. 

The Banias Waterfall

The Banias Waterfall provides one of Israel’s most beautifully tranquil spots. Set within the Banias Nature Reserve in the Golan, the Banias is a spring which rises from the base of Mount Hermon, Israel’s tallest mountain, flowing for about 3.5km through a gorge, eventually coming to the impressive waterfall, the largest in Israel.

Jerusalem - City Wall in the moonlight and Jewish Quarter

Is one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. The 116,000 square meter area lies in the southeastern sector of the walled city, and stretches from the Zion Gatein the south, along the Armenian Quarter on the west, up to the Street of the Chain in the north and extends to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in the east. In the early 20th century, the Jewish population of the quarter reached 19,000.

Ceasarea - Ancient aqueduct and Haifa - The Bahai Shrines

 The town was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BCE as the port city Caesarea Maritima. It served as an administrative center of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire, and later the capital of the Byzantine Palaestina Prima province during the classic period. Following the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, the city had an Arab majority until Crusader renovation, but was again abandoned after the Mamluk conquest. It was populated in 1884 by Bosniak immigrants, who settled in a small fishing village. In 1940, kibbutz Sdot Yam was established next to the village. In February 1948 the village was conquered by a Palmach unit commanded by Yitzhak Rabin, its people already having fled following an attack by the Stern Gang. In 1952, a Jewish town of Caesarea was established near the ruins of the old city, which were made into the national park of Caesarea Maritima.

On July 8, 2008, the Shrine of the Báb, along with several other Bahá'í holy sites in Haifa and the nearby city of Acre (Akko), were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.^[3][4] The Bahá'í shrines "are the first sites connected with a relatively new religious tradition to be recognized by the World Heritage List."^[5] The UNESCO World Heritage Committee considers the sites to be "of outstanding universal value [and]...inscribed for the testimony they provide to the Bahá’i’s strong tradition of pilgrimage and for their profound meaning for the faith.

Old Jaffa - The clock Tower and Tel Aviv skyline at night

Is one of seven clock towers built in Israel during the Ottoman period. The others are located in Safed, Acre, Nazareth, Haifa, Nablus (West Bank) and Jerusalem, the last being the only one that has not survived until today.^[1]

The Jaffa Clock Tower stands in the middle of Yefet street at the northern entrance of Jaffa, the ancient city that is now a part of the greater Tel Aviv. The tower, which is made of limestone, incorporates two clocks and a plaque commemorating the Israelis killed in the battle for the town in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 414,600 and a land area of 20 square miles (52 km²).^[1] Tel Aviv forms part of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, also known as Gush Dan, which constitutes Israel's largest metropolitan area and has 3,464,100 residents, 42% of the country's population. Tel Aviv-Yafo is the largest and most populous section of the metropolitan area.

Postcards sent me last Friday for Tel Aviv tourist Information center.

Visit: http://tel-aviv.gov.il/eng/Pages/HomePage.aspx

Thanks a lot! 

SIERO - ASTURIAS - SPAIN

Last Wednesday I received 1 postcard. Sent me by Ayuntamiento de Siero it was a special request when this town makes in Lisbon a Folk Mask Festival.

Thanks a lot! A new town in my collection!  

We can see a Roman Bridge - Bergueres - in this town with Nora River refletions.

The Roman colonisation left its mark in our Municipality, with roads and some bridges such as those of Colloto, Bergueres or Lugones, as well as the one of Pola de Siero, which used to have two arches over the river Seco, and was destroyed around 1886.

Visit: http://www.ayto-siero.es and http://www.fimi.pt/index.html